Melbourne and Collingwood let their attacking football do the talking as 90,000 at the MCG felt the absence of the AFL great and MND advocate
There were more than 88,000 people at the MCG on Monday. But there was an absence, a void. There was lots of money raised, and celebrities and comedians of various grades sliding for laughs and donations. There were entire bays of supporters wearing blue beanies. There was Neale Daniher’s daughter, heavily pregnant, the spitting image of her dad, and now very much the public face of Fight MND. There was Jai Arrow, a 30-year-old former NRL player who was recently diagnosed with MND, tossing the coin. There were doctors and researchers talking about the disease with an optimism that we hadn’t heard in previous years. There was talk of significant progress in prognoses, in improving quality of life and in tapping into gene therapy.
But there was still that pall. When Daniher was wheeled around the MCG boundary line this time last year, it felt like a farewell. Such was his personality, you checked yourself whenever you felt pity or sorrow at what he was going through. Only in his absence could we get a proper appreciation of how much he’d done, how much he’d endured, and how much we’d lost.
WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - MARCH 15: Pascanel Ferreras #92 of the Houston Astros throws to first base during the eighth inning of a spring training game against the Miami Marlins at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on March 15, 2025 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below. Check out the previous day’s recap here.
AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (27-36) lost 11-5 (BOX SCORE)
McPherson started for Sugar Land and had his best outing in Triple-A allowing 2 runs over 4 innings striking out 7 batters. The offense picked up 3 runs in the 5th inning on a Ferreras RBI single and Biggio 2 run double. Bolton relieved McPherson and allowed 3 runs over 2 innings. In the 7th, Ferreras connected on a solo home run to get one run back. The pen continued to struggle allowing 3 more runs in the 7th as El Paso extended their lead. The offense was unable to comeback as Sugar Land lost 11-5.
Cody Bolton, RHP: 2.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Roddery Munoz, RHP: 0.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
Logan VanWey, RHP: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Miguel Ullola, RHP: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
Tom Cosgrove, LHP: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (25-32) lost 11-6 (BOX SCORE)
The Hooks got the scoring started getting a Sullivan solo home run in the first inning. In the second inning, Spence connected on a solo home run. The offense scored 2 runs in the 4th on a Schiavone solo home run and Austin solo home run. They added 2 more runs in the 5th on an Encarnacion steal of home and Schiavone RBI single. Dombroski started for the Hooks and was solid allowing 2 runs over 5.2 innings. The pen struggled through allowing 9 runs as Arkansas took the lead. The offense was quiet the rest of the way as the Hooks fell 11-6.
Jose Guedez, RHP: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
Ramsey David, RHP: 1.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
A+: Asheville Tourists (15-41) lost 16-14 (BOX SCORE)
Asheville got on the board in the first inning on a Call solo home run. Howard started for Asheville but really struggled allowing 9 runs, 8 earned, over just 1.2 innings. The offense got 4 runs back in the 3rd inning on a Powell RBI single, Ochoa 2 run double and Walker RBI double. They got 2 more in the 4th on a Thomas RBI double and Powell RBI single. Asheville took the lead scoring 4 runs in the 6th inning on an Ochoa 3 run double and Walker RBI single. The pen struggled late allowing 3 runs in the 7th, 2 runs in the 8th and 2 runs in the 9th. The offense rallied getting a Thomas RBI single in the 7th, Moss sac fly in the 8th and Ochoa RBI single in the 9th but that was it as Asheville fell 16-14.
A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (25-32) lost 16-2 (BOX SCORE)
The Woodpeckers got on the board in the first inning thanks to a Neyens 2 run home run, his 8th home run of the season. Smith got the start but struggled allowing 8 runs, 7 earned, over 4.1 innings. The rest of the pen struggled too allowing 8 runs. The Woodpeckers’ offense was shut down the rest of the way as they fell 16-2.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JUNE 06: Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Brandon Marsh #16 runs the bases after hitting a home run during the game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago White Sox on June 6th, 2026 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Alright, that is how the team should be playing at home. Going 5-1 against some good competition was a nice salve for the home issues they have had and before you say the Padres and White Sox aren’t good competition, they were both over .500 coming into this week. The bats woke up a bit while the starting pitching, for the most part, held serve.
Three up
Brandon Marsh – One of the interesting developments with the season is the continued improvement of Brandon Marsh. One of the only consistent hitters in the lineup this season, Marsh has put up numbers worthy of a selection to the All-Star Game, something that could be tough with the need for each team to have a representative. He’s definitely deserving, so finding a spot should be a priority among the coaching staff.
Adolis Garcia – A regular of the trio found in the section below this, let’s give credit to where it’s due for Garcia. He had a good week for the team, getting six hits on the week, two of them leaving the yard as home runs. It’s been good to see some right handed pop in the lineup, so let’s hope he can continue. Interesting note: for a player that has had it drilled into his head to take a few more walks, be a little more patient during his time here, Garcia’s best week in about a month and a half came in the week he didn’t take a single walk.
Jhoan Duran – I mean, what else should we say? Duran is about as lockdown a reliever as the league has this season. Each time he comes in, you simply expect a 1-2-3 innings to happen. Even when a batter makes contact, it’s honestly shocking that it happens.
Three down
Justin Crawford – Listen. The kid is struggling. With Steward Berroa here, possessing the ability to even stand in centerfield, it would maybe be a good idea to give the kid a day off to get himself right. Going back to May 4, he’s hitting .186/.239/.291. He’s slumping, badly. He needs a breather.
Andrew Painter – Speaking of struggling rookies. Painter’s job isn’t in question, that much is for sure. He’s a big part of this team’s present and future. But man, has it been disappointing to watch him this year. You wish the team had an alternative to him, someone who could also give him a skipped start or something along those lines. They just have….nothing. In the end, he’ll be fine as his stuff is just too good to see him continue being as up and down as he is. It’s just tough to watch at times right now.
J.T. Realmuto – We knew the decline would be tough, but Realmuto just doesn’t have it right now at the plate. We could talk about the need for days off with him as we do every year, but we all know it’s not going to happen.
HOOVER, AL - MAY 21: Pitcher Liam Peterson #12 of the Florida Gators celebrates closing out an inning during the SEC Baseball Tournament Quarterfinals game between Florida Gators and Alabama Crimson Tide on May 21, 2026, at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama.(Photo by David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The 2026 is about a month away — the first round kicks off on July 11, 2026 — so its time to start offering capsule looks at players the Texas Rangers could select with their top picks. The Rangers’ first round pick is at #16, their second round pick is at #54, and their third round pick is at #89.
Leading up to draft day, we will be doing writeups of some of the players who could end up getting selected by the Rangers with one of their first three picks. Today we are looking at University of Florida righthander Liam Peterson.
Liam Peterson is a 6’5”, 225 lb. righthanded pitcher for the University of Florida who turns 21 later this month. Peterson attended high school at Calvary Christian in Clearwater, Florida, and was a consensus top 100 guy for the 2023 MLB Draft, but was not selected due to signability issues. He has been a starter for the Gators all three years he’s been there.
Peterson is considered, if not having the best stuff in this draft class, to be near the top. Baseball America did an extensive write-up on him in October, profiling him as potentially the top pitcher in the draft class. His fastball sits in the mid-90s, and can reportedly get up to 98-99 mph. He throws both a slider and a curveball, with the slider being his primary out pitch. Peterson also has a changeup that is relatively advanced, and the changeup can be a weapon against lefties.
The knock on Peterson is his command, with Keith Law, for example, noting that he gets hit too hard for the type of stuff he has, and Fangraphs noting that Florida has had a history of not developing their pitchers as well as they should. The October write-up from BA says that he has a quality fastball, but not one that he can just blow batters away with, saying that Peterson “will be reliant on command to avoid damage.”
As a freshman, Peterson had a 6.43 ERA in 63 innings over 16 starts and two relief appearances, striking out 77 of 301 batters while walking 44 and giving up 15 homers. He took a step forward in 2025, lowering his ERA to 4.28 in 69.1 innings over 15 starts and a relief appearances, increasing his K total to 96 (out of 305 batters) while lowering his walks to 32 and reducing his homer count to 9.
In 2026, Peterson put up a 4.59 ERA in 16 starts covering 84.1 IP, with 111 Ks, 36 walks and 11 homers, facing 368 batters. He ended the 2026 season on a down note, giving up nine runs in five innings to Troy in the Gainesville Regional. Florida was eliminated by Troy in the next game.
I decided to start the MLB Draft preview write-ups with Peterson, since he was who BA has going to the Rangers in the mock draft they released today. The current mocks have him generally off the board before the Rangers pick, so at this point it would be mildly surprising if he dropped to them, but a lot can happen between now and draft day, and things are always fluid once you get past the first handful of picks.
The Rangers hit a home run with the selection of Alejandro Rosario in the 5th round in 2023, whose results in college didn’t match his stuff, though Peterson has had much more success than Rosario did. Its the same idea, though, grabbing a guy with great stuff with the belief that you can refine things and get better results from him. In addition, the Rangers used premium picks in back to back years on Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker, two guys who were seen as being hit harder in college at times than they should have been, given their stuff. Getting Peterson at #16 would be a major coup if the organization could have the same sort of success with him that the organization did with Rosario.
Wow. Just wow. Just last night I talked about the perils of falling in love with walk-off victories. Not that I think the Cubs were sitting back and waiting and thinking that they could just flip a switch at the last minute. And yet, the game played out that way anyway. Your mileage may vary, but this “shape” of game frustrates me more than say Friday’s loss. Oh, it’s embarrassing to lose 18-3, don’t get me wrong. But when the pitching is bad on this team, I kind of expect that. I’m not interested in exploring that thought just now. But that’s where my baseline is. But on a night like Sunday? A night when the bullpen gives the Cubs eight innings of relief with no runs allowed? That’s frustrating.
I know Javier Assad is a starter and I know he’s stretched out. So when I say “relief” outing, I see a few eyes rolling. But to be fair, Assad might have been told to be ready for a multi-inning outing Sunday. I’m sure that thought was maybe Javy would be called upon to throw two or three innings to bridge the gap between an underachieving starting rotation and an overworked bullpen resulting from those short comings. But he surely wasn’t guaranteed to get those innings tonight. Jacob Webb and Daniel Palencia both threw in this game and surely would have been available if (say) Jameson Taillon had gotten deep in the game. If Jameson gives them six innings and leaves say a 5-2 game, does Assad even pitch? So it’s not like he was sitting there ready to go. No one expected to see him in a competitive second inning.
But there was Assad on no notice, Webb for a couple of batters and Palencia for the ninth inning. All of that before Trent Thornton’s rough 10th inning in a tough spot. But I give Thornton credit. I will always think the reliever did a decent job if he holds the team to a single run in the top half of an extra inning. The whole setup is turbo charged, designed for run scoring. It’s superior if they hold a team scoreless and a disaster if they allow two or more. Again, your mileage may vary. So I don’t hold this against Thornton in any way. I do think differently about the bottom of the inning, particularly after you get a run in the top of the inning. It changes the way the inning plays once you have that lead. The pressure alone helps the road team once they get that run.
So my ire here is where it largely is with this team. These hitters have lost their way. It’s so bizarre. I’ve gotten to the point where I pretty much only want to see Pete Crow-Armstrong, Michael Busch and Ian Happ bat. I will give a nod to Moisés Ballesteros for a really great plate appearance tonight and the only run driven in. But that performance like so many of his teammates has been so few and far between for the last month. In this one, that was compounded by a couple of questionable baserunning decisions. A team shouldn’t slump for a whole month. Nico Hoerner. Alex Bregman. Seiya Suzuki. To differing degrees, these guys have track records. I don’t even know what you do with this.
I mean that’s not entirely true. The real answer is that you look yourself in the mirror. I’m not a big fan of ultimatums. I don’t think you go fire and brimstone from the front office. You just do your job. I know combing the back fields is quite the way amateur scouting goes anymore. At least not to the extent that it once did. But whatever amateur scouting looks like, whatever minor league scouting looks like, whatever international scouting looks like, you turn your attention there. It’s not over, but this team is heading towards lost cause. You start doing your homework on how to make this team better in 2027 and beyond. There’s no magic button that is going to fix this. Either these hitters are going to come back to life and find the magic they had earlier, or you are going to drift into oblivion.
The efforts are best served looking to the future. Not that an organization can’t “walk and chew gum at the same time.” But, I’m certain the tenor of phone calls and planting seeds is different when you are looking to add bodies than when you are looking to subtract them. Certainly if you think that another Edward Cabrera-type addition could add for 2026 and into the future, incremental help could help this year. The draft isn’t valuable enough to reward tanking in baseball. So I don’t think you go full youth movement or anything. But I do think you maybe at least start signaling that certain veteran players might become available, say by visibly scouting high level prospects from contending organizations.
It makes me sick that we are here. But it is what it is. I realize the Giants also just took two out of four from the Brewers. But I think of it like a piece I wrote earlier in the week about getting shut down by an A’s pitcher making his second major league start. In both situations, on a one off basis, of course that can happen. But this team hasn’t won a series in a month. Getting to easier competition hasn’t helped. The Cubs won two games this week. One was a fluky ninth inning comeback and one was an individually heroic performance behind the most effective Cubs starter. The offense had three good games on the road last week and got three wins out of it. But it’s just not enough. Two of six at home this past week. Three of seven the week before against two division rivals. No wins the week before.
Not. Good. Enough. Not. Acceptable.
Three Positives:
Javier Assad threw 6.1 innings of scoreless relief. He allowed a hit, a walk and hit a batter. Even in the era of occasional use of openers, that has to be one of the longest and most effective relief outings in Cub history.
Moisés Ballesteros had a hit, a walk and an RBI in his three plate appearances. A very nice day at the plate for the rookie. Very encouraging as one of the guys who has struggled a lot over the last month.
Ian Happ had a triple. The only extra base hit by the Cubs.
Game 66, June 7: Giants 2, Cubs 1 (34-32)
Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.
THREE HEROES:
Superhero: Javier Assad (.456). 6.1 IP, 21 BF, H, BB, 0 ER, 5 K
Hero: Moisés Ballesteros (.148). 1-2, BB, RBI
Sidekick: Daniel Palencia (.134). IP, 3 BF, K
THREE GOATS:
Billy Goat: Alex Bregman (-.545). 0-5, DP
Goat: Michael Busch (-.202). 1-5, DP
Kid: Carson Kelly (-.195). 1-4, R
WPA Play of the Game: Alex Bregman lined into a double play with runners on first and third and no outs in the eighth inning. With all due respect to the rest of the game, this is where the potential Cub win died. You can see that in the chart above. (.301).
Cubs Play of the Game: Michael Busch singles with no outs and a runner on first and the game tied in the eighth inning. After a throwing error, the runner Kevin Alcantara went first to third. (.181)
Cubs Player of the Game:
Game 65 Winner: Pete Crow-Armstrong received 237 out of 254 votes.
Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)
The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.
Michael Busch +20
Ben Brown +11.5
Pete Crow-Armstrong/Michael Conforto +10
Carson Kelly/Ian Happ +8.5
Ryan Rolison/Phil Maton/Jameson Taillon -8
Caleb Thielbar -9
Matt Shaw -10
Dansby Swanson -11
Seiya Suzuki -26.5
Up Next: An off day on Monday. On Tuesday, the Cubs start a three game series in Colorado. The Rockies aren’t as woeful as they’ve been recently, but they are 24-42 with a -99 run differential. That run differential points to an expected 24-42 win loss record. So, you could say that they are who they are. By OPS, the Rockies are 17th in MLB (Cubs still hanging in there at ninth). By ERA, the Rockies are 30th (Cubs are 19th). One might expect, looking at those numbers, that the teams would have a high scoring series. The Rockies are 12-19 at home (12-23 on the road).
Colin Rea (5-3, 4.59, 64.2 IP) makes his 11th start of the season. He’s allowed seven earned runs over his last three starts, covering 17.2 innings (3.56 ERA). 36-year-old righty Tomoyuki Sugano (5-4, 3.98, 63.1 IP) gets his 13th start of the year. He’s 3-2 with a 4.50 in five home starts this year.
Two or even three wins in Colorado isn’t going to reignite my excitement about this team. But again, tanking doesn’t have a ton of value in baseball, so might as well go win these games.
*Side notes, Javier Assad and Alex Bregman’s Sunday night performances appear to both be among biggest WPA values by Cub players this year (one positive, one negative). Additionally, Pete Crow-Armstrong’s game Saturday and Pete Crow-Armstrong’s game Thursday were all notable WPA games for the season. Look for a comment from me on Monday regarding where those performances stack up with others this year. Or in the case of the PCA Saturday heroics, how it fits in amongst performances in recent years (by WPA).
A four-run ninth carried Erie to victory on Sunday, as the SeaWolves tied the series with the Richmond Flying Squirrels at three games apiece.
The most impactful swing of the night came from Izaac Pacheco with two outs in the top of the ninth. Mitch White had just taken over for Seth Lonsway, and Pacheco took the first pitch he saw — a 96-mph fastball low in the zone — and crushed it for a two-run homer, giving Erie a 4-3 lead. Justice Bigbie was on base from a single before the pitching change.
Erie was down to their final out, but Izaac Pacheco turned on a 96 MPH fastball and hit an absolute rocket to right for a go-ahead 2-run homer in the 9th. It’s his 9th home run of the season.🚀 pic.twitter.com/KgZKW20tt9
Things didn’t get better for White. Andrew Jenkins singled, E.J. Exposito walked and Seth Stephenson drove both runners in with a double to the wall in left-center. 6-3, Seawolves.
Seth Stephenson hits a sharp 2-run double to the gap in left center to put the SeaWolves up 6-3. pic.twitter.com/SHzi1gIZrn
Moises Rodriguez earned the win with a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth. However, Rodriguez was also the reason Richmond took a late lead. He sailed a throw to first and watched it ricochet off the tarp and down the right field line. The runner ended up on third and scored on a sacrifice fly.
The rest of Erie’s pitching was sound. Max Alba gave 4 2/3 innings of two-run ball, striking out four. A solo home run in the first and a soft RBI single into left in the fourth were the only costly mistakes of the day for him. Tanner Kohlhepp took over for Alba in the fifth to get the final out and pitch through the sixth. Eric Silva went 1-2-3 in the seventh.
The SeaWolves didn’t have a ton of offense in the first eight frames. Exposito homered in the third to tie the game at 1-1, and Brett Callahan briefly tied the game again at two runs apiece in the eighth with an RBI. Bigbie and Stephenson both had two hits.
E.J. Exposito mashes a game-tying solo homer to center in the 3rd. It’s his 8th home run of the year. pic.twitter.com/G3FYcXYRGV
Coming Up Next: The SeaWolves are at home next week against the Akron RubberDucks, starting Tuesday at 6:05 p.m ET.
West Michigan Whitecaps 11, Dayton Dragons 3 (box)
Tarik Skubal day in West Michigan went about as well as it could have, with the Whitecaps winning 8-0 over the Dayton Dragons and the Tigers’ ace looking near-perfect.
Skubal gave up two hits over five scoreless innings and struck out six. He reportedly touched 99 mph and looked like the guy Tigers fans have come to adore over the past few years. For a more in-depth breakdown of Skubal’s start, check out this piece.
Jackson Strong stayed hot at the plate, giving West Michigan an early lead with a two-run homer in the first, and the Whitecaps never looked back.
Jackson Strong launches a 2-run homer to right to put the Whitecaps and Tarik Skubal up early. It’s Strong’s 5th home run of the year, and he has homered in three consecutive games. @ThatDanHasty on the call. pic.twitter.com/uJHFoiADTa
Garrett Pennington singled in two more runners in the third, Ricardo Hurtado doubled in a pair in the fifth, and Woody Hadeen made it 7-0 in the sixth with an RBI double. A balk with Bryce Rainer at the plate gave the Whitecaps run No. 8 in the seventh.
Ricardo Hurtado smashes a 2-run double to left center to put the Whitecaps up 6-0 pic.twitter.com/1YRkem91Z2
Ryan Harvey, Luke Stofel and CJ Weins continued the shutout in relief of Skubal. Harvey struck out a pair in as many innings, and the other two worked around a combined three hits over the final two frames. Way to not mess it up, guys.
The Whitecaps win the series, 4-2.
Rainer: 0-3, R, BB
Strong: 1-5, HR (5), R, 2 RBI, 2 K
Pennington:2-5, 2B (15), R, 2 RBI
Skubal: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K
Coming Up Next: The Whitecaps are on the road against the Lake County Captains next week, starting Tuesday at 6:05 p.m. ET.
Lakeland Flying Tigers 5, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels 3 (box)
Lakeland was outhit by Fort Myers on Sunday, but the Flying Tigers prevailed over the Mighty Mussels, 5-3, to close the series out with a second win.
Six free passes on the day helped Lakeland score more often, and six scattered hits around the lineup did the trick. Javier Osorio gave the Flying Tigers an early 2-0 lead with a two-run single into left field in the second.
Jesus Pinto and Edian Espinal answered a two-run eighth by the Mighty Mussels with as many runs in the bottom half; the former singling into center field for a run, and the latter driving in another with a sacrifice fly.
Jesus Pinto puts Lakeland back ahead with a hard chopper through the infield. pic.twitter.com/y5xVwhCRRV
Charlie Christensen gave Lakeland four innings of one-hit ball while striking out eight, lowering his ERA to 1.38 on the year. The right-hander’s secondary stuff was sharp once again, racking up whiffs with cutters, sliders, and changeups. Joe Ruzicka gave up the first run on two hits and a walk, but he lasted two innings. Jan Carabello struck out four over 1 2/3 innings, but he also gave up a pair of runs on four hits. Jatnk Diaz got the final four outs of the game, working around just one hit.
Ankeney: 1-4, HR (5), R, RBI, K
Christensen: 4.0 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K
Coming Up Next: The Flying Tigers are on the road next week against the Clearwater Threshers, starting Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. ET.
The Boston Red Sox, ranked fifth in the AL East with a 27-36 record, face the Tampa Bay Rays, who are first in the AL East with a 37-25 record. The game is essentially a pick'em, with Boston at -115 and Tampa Bay at -105. Starting pitchers are Connelly Early for Boston, with a 3.26 ERA, and Ian Seymour for Tampa Bay, with a 5.23 ERA.
Mike Burrows is the only Astros starter to make every turn in the rotation through the first 67 games of the season, but after another rough outing Sunday against the A’s, and with Hunter Brown due back later this month, Burrows’ spot in the rotation could be in jeopardy.
Burrows allowed five runs, four earned, over five innings in Sunday’s 5-0 loss to the Athletics. He has a 5.77 ERA through his first 13 starts with the Astros, who are 3-10 when he takes the mound. It’s hardly what the team envisioned when it acquired the right-hander in December.
The 26-year-old was the victim of the Crawford Boxes, poor defense, and a .378 opponent BABIP through his first five starts, which led to his FIP being almost two runs lower than his 6.75 ERA. Burrows got his ERA down to 5.04 after throwing seven scoreless innings in Cincinnati on May 8, but he has posted a 6.91 ERA in his last five starts, to go with a 7.50 FIP and .289 BABIP against, suggesting his underlying performance has actually been worse than his results during that stretch.
Keeping the ball in the ballpark has been Burrows’ biggest issue this season. He allowed two more home runs on Sunday, bringing his total to 17. Only Jameson Taillon has allowed more this season. Eleven of those homers have come against Burrows’ four-seam fastball, including both he allowed against the A’s on Sunday.
Burrows arrived in Houston with one of baseball’s best changeups, but his other pitches needed refining, most notably his four-seam fastball, which opponents batted .326 against last season with a .529 slugging percentage. That pitch has been worse this season.
After Sunday’s start, opponents are batting .315 against Burrows’ four-seam this season, with a .781 slugging percentage. Baseball Savant has assigned that pitch a -9 run value, the sixth-worst mark among 300 qualified pitchers.
The Astros acquired Burrows with the hope he could build on the 111 ERA+ he posted last season in his first taste of Major League action, and that he could be a “pillar” of their rotation for the next half decade. That possibility can’t be ruled out after just 13 starts, but the Astros are sure to be experiencing some buyer’s remorse at the moment.
Burrows will make his next turn in the Astros rotation this weekend in Kansas City, but things could get complicated after that. If all goes well Wednesday in Sugar Land, Hunter Brown will rejoin the Astros rotation next week. A stretch of 13 games in 13 days will allow the Astros to utilize a six-man rotation, but that won’t be the case when the calendar flips to July.
Brown, Spencer Arrighetti, and Tatsuya Imai are rotation locks, while Peter Lambert and Kai-Wei Teng are performing at a much higher level than Burrows. Teng could slot back to the bullpen where he was excellent at the start of the season, but would that be best for the team if Burrows continues to struggle over the next couple of weeks? Also, Cristian Javier could be back by that point as well.
He has pitched out of the bullpen before, but a trip down to Sugar Land could be more beneficial. It would allow him to work out some of his issues while keeping him on a starter’s routine. The Astros took a similar approach with Arrighetti at the start of the season, and he has since authored an All-Star-caliber first half.
Burrows has flashed the upside that appealed to the Astros over the winter, and there’s no reason to think he’s a lost cause at this point. But the Astros are just 4.5 games back of Seattle for first place in the AL West and three games back of Texas for the American League’s final wild-card spot. The 2026 season is not a lost cause despite a 30-37 record.
Every game matters, and the Astros cannot afford to keep running Burrows out there if better options are available.
The 2026 NBA Finals shift to Madison Square Garden for Game 3 with the Knicks firmly in control after taking the first two games on the road. New York enters Monday night up 2-0 in the series and riding a 13-game playoff winning streak, now just two wins from its first championship since 1973. No team has ever lost the NBA Finals after winning the first two games on the road. The Spurs, meanwhile, no question will face a loud and hostile environment just a couple of days after rallying late but then letting a golden opportunity slip through their fingers to even the series in Game 2.
Game 2 was a classic, with the Knicks escaping San Antonio with a 105-104 win in a back-and-forth finish. Karl-Anthony Towns led New York with 21 points and 13 rebounds on 8-of-12 shooting, while Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges each added 20 points in a balanced effort that saw five Knicks score in double figures. The Spurs erased a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit and briefly took the lead late, but a turnover by Victor Wembanyama with under 10 seconds remaining led to Brunson’s go-ahead free throw. Wembanyama then missed a potential game-winner at the buzzer, finishing with 29 points and 9 rebounds in a strong but ultimately costly performance.
Through two games, the Knicks’ depth, efficiency, and experience have been the defining differences in this series. Towns has been arguably the series’ best player, averaging 19.5 points and 12.5 rebounds through two games in the series Game 2 while leading the defensive effort against Wembanyama. Despite Brunson shooting just 33.9% in the series (19-56), the Knicks’ leader has averaged 25 points and four assists per game. For San Antonio, De’Aaron Fox rebounded from a poor Game 1 (7 points, 5 assists) with 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Devin Vassell (14 points, 9 rebounds) and Dylan Harper (15 points) were also solid in Game 2 loss.
The concern for the Spurs heading into Game 3 is their poor execution on the offensive end, most noticeably in transition. Despite generating more chances on the break than New York, San Antonio has struggled to convert, scoring just 0.84 points per possession in transition during the Finals. In addition, highlighted by Wembanyama’s pass to an unsuspecting Stephon Castle late in Game 2, turnovers in key moments have proven decisive.
Keys in Game 3:
Wembanyama has to get off to a better start. As fatigued as he may be, he has to find a way to maintain an exceptionally high level of play for the entire game.
Castle need to shoot the ball better. They need him to be an efficient secondary option.
Josh Hart needs to stay on the court. The rebounding machine for the Knicks got in foul trouble and played just 18 minutes.
Brunson needs to own the moment. The NBA’s most clutch player must own Madison Square Garden tonight. A fast and efficient start could finish Game 3 early.
Lets take a closer look at tonight’s matchup and take into consideration lineups, injuries, and other factors affecting the line and total.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds courtesy of DraftKings recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game Details and How to Watch Game 3 Live: Knicks vs. Spurs
Date: Monday, June 8, 2026
Time: 8:30PM EST
Site: Madison Square Garden
City: New York, NY
Network/Streaming: ABC
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NBA Finals Game 3 Odds: Knicks vs. Spurs
The latest odds as of Monday courtesy of DraftKings:
Moneyline: New York Knicks (-130), San Antonio Spurs (+110)
Spread: Knicks -1.5
Total: 215.5 points
This game sits almost right where it opened with the Knicks favored by 1.5 and the Game Total set at 216.5.
Be sure to check out DraftKings for all the latest game odds & player props for every matchup this week on the NBA schedule!
Expected Starting Lineups for NBA Finals Game 3: Knicks vs. Spurs
New York Knicks
PG Jalen Brunson (20 points, 6 assists in Game 2)
SG Mikal Bridges (20 points, 6 assists in Game 2)
C Karl-Anthony Towns (21 points, 13 rebounds in Game 2)
SF Josh Hart (0 points, 6 rebounds in Game 2)
PF OG Anunoby (17 points, 2-5 from 3-point range in Game 2)
San Antonio Spurs
PG De’Aaron Fox (20 points, 8-12 from the field in Game 2)
SG Stephon Castle (14 points on 5 of 14 shooting in Game 2)
SF Devin Vassell (14 points, 9 rebounds in Game 2)
PF Julian Champagnie (8 points, 4 rebounds in Game 2)
C Victor Wembanyama (29 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 turnovers in Game 2)
Injury Report: Knicks vs. Spurs
New York Knicks
No injuries to report
San Antonio Spurs
David Jones Garcia (ankle) has been declared OUT for tonight’s game
Important stats, trends and insights: Knicks vs. Spurs – Game 3
The Knicks are 36-11 on the road this season
The Spurs are 35-15 on the road this season
The Spurs are 57-44-2 ATS this season
The Knicks are 56-42-1 ATS this season
The OVER has cashed in 46 of the Knicks’ 99 games this season (46-53)
The OVER has cashed in 47 of the Spurs’ 103 games this season (47-56)
Landry Shamet has buried 3, 3-pointers in each of the first two games of this series
Luke Kornet scored 1 point in Game 2 after going without even 1 point in Game1
Rotoworld Best Bet
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Monday’s Game 3 between the Knicks and the Spurs:
Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Knicks on the Moneyline
Spread: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on the Knicks -1.5
Total: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Game Total UNDER 215.5
Player Props:
Devin Vassell 3+ 3-pointers (+106) – Vassell’s record over the last 8 games is 4-4 so more than likely will be a sweat, but the Spurs know they need to get him going tonight. The volume will be there.
Karl-Anthony Towns 4+ Assists (-145) – may not be worth the squeeze as the price has dropped, but this cashed in Games 1 and 2 of the Finals, twice in the East Final, and in all 4 games in the Second Round
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The winning bid was split by the law firm Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher LLP and private equity firm Veritas Capital. The fundraiser benefited the Garden of Dreams Foundation, and the Knicks said it was the largest single donation in the history of the foundation, which works with MSG’s companies to assist children at need in the tristate area.
The seats are located in section VIP 10, row AA, seats 25 and 26, right off center court. It’s impossible to know what they would usually cost, because the team doesn’t sell them. Instead, they are given to the celebrity fans such as Tracy Morgan and Timothée Chalamet who are courtside fixtures.
Seats everywhere in the building are expensive. The cheapest upper-deck seats available Sunday night were going for more than $6,000 on secondary markets like StubHub, SeatGeek and VividSeats. The experience of being courtside went for more than $75,000.
That, of course, makes life a little different for the club’s amateur scouting staff leading up to the 2026 NHL draft. Barring a trade, the Flyers will pick at 21st overall. It’s their lowest first-round spot since 2020.
So the Flyers know the draft is still critical to what they want to do, even when they’re lower in the order.
“We’ve said it for a long time, we wanted to build a team that was going to be here for a long time; not just to go for it for a year or two,” general manager Danny Briere said last month. “That’s still the same approach on my end.”
The Flyers have only five picks in this draft, which will be held June 26-27. The first round is Friday at 7 p.m. ET, while Rounds 2-7 are Saturday starting at 11 a.m. ET.
“I’ll tell you how I feel about drafts and I’ll be totally blunt with you,” TSN director of scouting Craig Button said last Tuesday in a phone interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I think it’s f—ing bulls–t when I hear about, ‘Oh, this draft isn’t as good.’ Here are the numbers. Approximately 45 players from any draft will play 350 games or more in the NHL. It might be 47 one year, 42 another year. That’s the number — you get 45 players that’ll play 350 games or more with varying degrees of success.
“And I know this about the draft. The teams that get good players from the draft say it was a good draft. The teams that don’t get good players from the draft say it wasn’t a good draft. So when people start telling me about a draft ahead of time, I call bulls–t.”
“What you’re trying to do is find a player that you feel has the potential to be an NHL player,” Button said. “That might be a third-line center, that might be a second-line scoring winger. Hey, listen, maybe you get David Pastrnak, who’s a superstar (drafted 25th overall in 2014).
“But the focus has to be on, ‘OK, what type of player do we like, what type of player do we think the guy can be?’ And then get after it and understand what the development path is, and then try to help that player be the best he can be. Put a stake in the ground and celebrate who you’re drafting.”
Before the draft arrives, we’re breaking down first-round targets for the Flyers.
Next up:
Ilia Morozov
Position: Center Height: 6-foot-3 Weight: 200 Shoots: Left Team: Miami (Ohio)
Scouting report
The Russian prospect provides a noticeable presence and strong work ethic down the middle.
At just 17 years old, Morozov was rock solid in his transition to the college level. He put up eight goals and 12 assists in 36 games for Miami (Ohio). Three of his goals came on the power play and one at shorthanded. He had a two-goal performance on the road against Western Michigan, the defending national champs at the time.
“Good player,” Button, a former NHL GM and scout, said. “I see him as a third-line center. Nothing wrong with third-line centers, third-line centers are really valuable.”
His ceiling offensively might not be super high, but Morozov sees the ice well and his shot has potential. Button has him at No. 25 on his May 20 draft list.
“Anton Lundell and Adam Lowry, to me, are the prototypical third-line centers,” Button said. “I think Anton has a little bit easier of a time scaling up to what I would call a 2b. He can be a second-line center, he can do that, but he’s not a prolific point producer you might want from a second-line center. But an excellent third-line center and I think Adam Lowry is an excellent third-line center.
“I see the same thing with Morozov. I don’t see this guy that’s going to be a big offensive force, but I see a guy that with his size, his spurt, his competitiveness, you want out there on the ice. That’s kind of the profile that I look at with these types of players.”
The Flyers have needed more centers in their system, so Morozov checks a box there. But the concern may be his upside. Can the Flyers grab a player with more of a top-six makeup?
The club is hoping Jett Luchanko, Jack Berglund or Jack Nesbitt can eventually develop into a second-line center, but there’s no guarantee there. Morozov would at least give the Flyers another option down the middle.
His size and strength are intriguing, especially when you consider Berglund and Nesbitt are both 6-foot-4 or taller. Down the road, the Flyers would possibly have an imposing look at a premium position.
Morozov’s ability to relate to Matvei Michkov would be a nice bonus, too.
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 03: U.S. President Donald Trump displays a graph entitled "Our Pool is Bigger than Skyscrapers" as he speaks on his renovations to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool during an event in the Oval Office of the White House on June 03, 2026 in Washington, DC. The landmark is being painted as part of President Trump's efforts to repair Washington D.C. in preparation for the Nation's 250th birthday. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Donald Trump hates the NBA, but he loves attention. This has manifested itself by creating hell at Madison Square Garden for thousands of basketball fans in order to get some camera time, with Trump set to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals in New York City on Monday night.
Knicks owner James Dolan, noted Trump supporter and shitty musician, invited the president to attend Game 3 of the Finals at Madison Square Garden. In doing so he’s displaced thousands of die-hard fans who love the NBA, and have supported the Knicks in spite of Dolan’s horrible ownership tenure.
With ticket prices soaring into the tens of thousands of dollars, one of the most popular events for Knicks fans have been watch parties outside Madison Square Garden. Those have been cancelled by the NYPD and Secret Service for Monday, citing security concerns with the president in attendance. In addition, fans who are actually attending the game will go through more rigorous “TSA-style” security screenings, which have resulted in fans being told to arrive two hours before tip-off, transforming the sporting event into an airport security line. That’s not all, as a ban on all bags is in effect as well — which includes clear bags typically allowed into NBA arenas. It’s unclear if the bag ban will also impact medication and childcare needs, which are typically allowed.
New York mayor Zohran Mamdani has made alternate plans in response to the MSG watch ban, announcing a 5,000 person watch party in Manhattan’s Bryant Park, some eight blocks away from the arena. It’s a nice gesture to make up for some of the ban, but won’t nearly accommodate the number of fans who would have been outside the arena had Trump not attended the game. It’s estimated that 10,000 fans were in attendance for the watch party on West 33rd Street for Game 1, with the Eastern Conference Finals topping 6,000 fans.
All of this was unnecessary. Dolan chose to invite President Trump, which is his prerogative — but in doing so, he actively alienated the lifeblood of his organization: die-hard fans who have supported the Knicks, warts and all, over the 20-year NBA Finals drought. These are people who bleed blue and orange, who have been priced out of being inside the arena so the exceedingly wealthy can buy tickets. Now they’re being pushed back from being in close proximity to the arena, in service of a vanity appearance from a president who knowingly hates the NBA and its players.
A plane that was scheduled to pick up former St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina and his family crashed in the Dominican Republic on Sunday, June 7, killing both the pilot and copilot, Molina revealed in an Instagram story.
According to video (Warning: graphic content) posted by baseball reporter and broadcaster Mike Rodriguez, the Gulfstream G200 jet apparently missed the runway at the airport in La Romana, D.R., and skidded onto a grassy area, where it hit a bump and burst into flames.
Molina said on Instagram that the plane was headed to Texas, where he and several family members were preparing to travel to Puerto Rico.
Molina, a 10-time All-Star and nine-time Gold Glove winner during his 19-year career with the Cardinals, has become a standout manager following his retirement as a player following the 2022 season. He led Team Puerto Rico to the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Baseball Classic and managed the squad in 2023 as well.
Molina is also the manager of Navegantes del Magallanes of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League and is employed by the Cardinals as a special assistant to president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom.
TORONTO, CANADA - JUNE 8: Rajai Davis #11 of the Toronto Blue Jays is embraced by teammates after driving in the winning run in the eighteenth inning during MLB game action against the Texas Rangers on June 8, 2013 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Thirteen Years Ago
The Blue Jays and Rangers played 18 innings; best of all, the good guys won. I miss these kinds of games.
It was one of those games that felt like it would never end.
Early on, we scored three runs in the third inning. Edwin Encarnacion singled. Adam Lind walked, moving Edwin to second. Then Colby Rasmus hit a line drive to right-center field. Edwin ran home and scored easily. Lind also tried to score, but the relay throw from Jurickson Profar, the Rangers’ second baseman, was wide of home, so both Lind and Colby scored.
After that initial burst, we put up zeros for the next 14 innings.
Mark Buehrle started strong. Just a month earlier, he allowed a seven-run inning against the Rays, but his season turned around after that. In the five starts between then and this game, Mark posted a 3.38 ERA.
On this day, he pitched 7 innings, allowing 4 hits, 1 earned run (a Jeff Baker home run in the seventh), 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts, with 92 pitches thrown. He deserved a win for that outing.
Though I don’t remember much about Baker, he had a solid season at the plate, hitting .279/.360/.545 with 11 home runs. Despite playing 11 seasons, he only appeared in over 100 games once, with 104 for the Rockies in 2008.
Buehrle should have secured the win, but after Steve Delabar pitched a scoreless eighth, Casey Jansen gave up 2 runs in the ninth for his first blown save of the season. Since he finished with 34 saves and just 2 blown, we can give him a pass.
After that, our bullpen pitched nine scoreless innings. From the recap:
Dustin McGowan entered in extras for his first appearance since 2011, walking the leadoff batter. After getting a double-play ball that Mark DeRosa booted, a hit batter loaded the bases, but Dustin grabbed a strikeout to escape.
Juan Perez replaced him and allowed a medium fly to right, but Jose Bautista’s strong throw cut down the runner at the plate. Perez pitched 2 innings, giving up 1 hit, 1 walk, and recording 1 strikeout.
Neil Wagner followed, getting 2 outs to close the 12th.
Next up, Brett Cecil pitched a clean 12th with one strikeout.
Brad Lincoln then pitched four strong innings: he allowed 1 hit, walked 1, hit 2 batters, and struck out 3. I figured Gibby would stick with him until the game ended or his arm fell off. But instead…
Aaron Loup came in, gave up a hit and hit a batter, but escaped the 18th without allowing a run.
Brad Lincoln was terrific. Despite pitching four excellent innings, he was sent to the minors the next day. It felt unfair.
On the Rangers’ side:
Yu Darvish threw 7 innings, giving up 2 earned and 1 unearned run. We had 6 hits against him.
Neal Cotts went 1.1, allowing just a hit.
Jason Frasor, a former Blue Jays reliever, went 1 inning, allowing a hit.
Robbie Ross: 1.2, with a hit and a walk.
Ross Wolf threw 6.2 innings, constantly working himself in and out of trouble. And then, in the 18th:
With one out, Maicer Izturis lined out, then Emilio Bonifacio singled—one of his 47 singles out of 57 hits that year. After Josh Thole popped out (he hit .175/.256/.242 that season, but pinch-hit for DeRosa in the 16th), Wolf threw wide on a pickoff, and Bonifacio took third. Rajai Davis then singled him home for the walk-off win.
From the recap:
Jays of the Day: Lincoln (.570 WPA), Perez (.499), Buehrle (.297), Cecil (.143), Loup (.143 and the win), Wagner (.142), Davis (.223) and Rasmus (.141).
Suckage: Janssen (-.280), Izturis (-.367), DeRosa (-.183, plus the error), Thole (-.132)
Three guys had the number for possible Suckage Awards, but I’m not giving them out: McGowan (-.213), though the error was DeRosa’s fault; Bautista (-.155), but his throw from right redeemed him; and Bonifacio (-.147), but he drew the wild pickoff and scored the winner.
There is a popular meme of Kobe Bryant from the 2009 NBA Finals.
In a news conference, despite the Lakers ahead 2-0 in the series, he was asked why he wasn’t smiling.
“What’s there to be happy about? Job’s not finished,” he famously replied. “Job finished? I don’t think so.”
Jalen Brunson recreated that moment Sunday, as the Knicks prepared for Monday night’s Game 3 at the Garden up 2-0.
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson speaks to reporters after practice ahead of Game 3 of the NBA Finals on June 7, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / NY Post
“In my mind there’s nothing really to celebrate yet,” the Knicks captain said. “There’s still a lot of work to be done.”
Brunson has had complete focus throughout the postseason. When the Knicks clinched a spot in the Finals for the first time in 27 years, a video was posted of the team celebrating in the locker room. Brunson was sitting on his own, a look of determination on his face instead of joy. He has refused to take promotional photos with the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Asked about the excitement in the city, as the Knicks look to clinch their first title in 53 years, Brunson said he has refused to soak it in. He’s repeatedly told reporters he would look back at what this team accomplished when it’s over. Not a second sooner.
“I do my best to stay present in the moment, to do the things I can to make sure my mind is right,” said Brunson, the first player in NBA history to score the game-winning points in the final two minutes of consecutive Finals games. “Being mentally and physically ready every day. Trusting my work. That’s what’s gotten me here.”
Kobe Bryant speaks to reporters after the Lakers’ Game 2 win in the 2009 NBA Finals. Getty Images
When Game 2’s wild ending was brought up, Brunson looked at the glass half-empty. Yes, he was happy the Knicks were able to rally after blowing a 14-point advantage, but he was also concerned with what led to them losing that lead.
“We do need to be able to finish the game better,” he said. “Unacceptable the way we just obviously let that 14-point lead go the way we did.”
Clearly, Brunson is taking after Bryant. The only time to celebrate is when the ultimate goal is accomplished.
